Can Ron Rivera save his job with the Carolina Panthers?

Can Ron Rivera save his job as the head coach of the
Carolina Panthers? In two seasons Ron Rivera has a 13-19 record with the
Panthers and is definitely on the hot seat. The fact that the Panthers hired
Dave Gettleman to replace Marty Hurney could be a bad sign for Ron Rivera and
his future with the Carolina Panthers.

General Managers tend to want to hire their own guy as a
coach and Dave Gettleman didn't hire Ron Rivera. I am sure Gettleman has a
short list of possible head coaches to hire if he needs to do so.

That does not mean that Dave Gettleman wants to fire Ron
Rivera but he may want to. Of course if the Carolina Panthers have a great
season then Rivera probably won't be fired. So if the Panthers make the
playoffs in 2013 Gettleman wouldn't be able to fire Ron Rivera.

Jerry Richardson has the final say of course and if he likes
Ron Rivera then a winning but non playoff team may save Rivera's job. Last year
the Bears won 10 games and didn't make the playoffs which got Lovie Smith
fired. I would be anything that a 10 win season would get Ron Rivera retained. If
Richardson and Gettleman REALLY like Ron Rivera then a 8-8 record would save
his job with the Carolina Panthers.

Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers need to get off to a
good start in 2013. The Panthers under Rivera have not played well at the
beginning of the season. Then toward the end of the year when they are out of
playoff contention, the team starts to win.

Make no mistake about it, it will be very difficult for the Carolina
Panthers to make the playoffs in 2013. The NFC South is a tough division and
the non division games are not going to be easy either. I think the Panthers
are ok in most spots except the defensive secondary, but there are depth concerns
on the offensive line and all over the defense.

Can Newton
will have the most to do with Ron Rivera saving or losing his job with the
Carolina Panthers. If Cam plays like he did at
the end of last year, from the start of this season then the Panthers will be competitive
in every game. The Panthers are not good enough to win when Cam Newton has a
bad game, in most cases.

My prediction is that the Carolina Panthers win 8 games in
the 2013 NFL season. I also predict that the Panthers will not keep Ron Rivera
and that they will hire a new coach for 2014.